Sugar will be the Death of You
by dizzygirl464
Summary: An english couple is targeted in a secluded cafe, but why does someone want to harm them - they've never visisted the country before. Somethings wrong with Lindsay - she's afraid of the dark, but why? Written hopefully! like an actual episode.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is slightly AU being as Danny and Lindsay aren't yet together, so no baby! Will be some D/L, maybe a bit of SMacked if I'm feeling soppy. I hope you enjoy, and of course, I do not own CSI:NY or any of the characters.**

The cafe had been standing for nearly 100 years and the most exciting thing that had ever happened was when a 27 year old woman went into labour in the ladies toilets. Maybe this was why it was such a popular place - the peace and tranquility that was guaranteed; that, or its simple interior and secluded position in the busy streets of New York.

This day was snowy; it was early February and the winter had yet to start it's transition into spring. There was a break in the flurry of snowflakes and, taking the opportunity, a young couple leapt from the trademark yellow New York Cab they had previously been sat in and sprinted their clumsy way into the little cafe. They stumbled in, breathless and laughing, immediately charmed by the tinkling bell that greeted them above the door.

Surveying the room, only two other sets of eyes met theirs, and, still smiling, they moved to a table tucked away in the corner. Bending down to kiss his sweetheart, the young man smiled a crooked grin, and told her, "Wait here, I'll order something warm and be back in a minute." She returned his smile, loosening the scarf around her neck and pulling her light grey hat off, cinnamon hair tumbling out.

The woman behind the till watched with sparkling eyes that only the older generation can have, eyes that had seen many moments like this. It touched her heart every time, and she thanked the Lord for her good fortune. She watched as the young man approached, his dark hair tousled with snow and wind, his eyes alight with the excitment of a first love.

"Can we have two hot chocolate, please ... and a brownie." He asked in an English accent, chuckling to himself, knowing that his fiancee would add an extra three spoonfuls of sugar to the hot chocolate, no matter how sweet it already was. He often teased that her sweet tooth would be the death of her. After taking his order he made his way back, careful to avoid the ramble of chairs and tables spread throughout. Delivering the tray like a doctor delivering a life saving antidote he smiled and kissed her over their table.

As he had accurately predicted, she looked around for the sugar pot, knocking it off the table as she tried to take it.

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry," she called up through her mane of hair as she knelt on the ground the deal with the mess. Scrambling to contain all the granules a short laugh burst from her. "Nothing ever changes does it? Even in America I'm still a clutz!" She brushed off her knees and stood up, sprinkling the sugar onto the plate and leaning her head into a beau's chest. "I thought I might be just a little less embarrassing away from home."

She looked up as she started laughing. "So not funny Jason," but a grin escaped her lips and she kissed him again to the chime of the bells above the doorway. He pulled back slightly when he felt her press against him with the impact as if someone had pushed her. They both stepped away, confusion a mask on both their faces.

"Oh, my god, Jason, you're bleeding!" she gasped, looking at a deep, red stain on his blue jumper. He frantically pulled the material away from his chest, his hands coming away covered in blood, feeling for any kind of wound when he realized the stain wasn't spreading.

"It's not me," he murmured. He met Jennifer's eyes, and both sets slowly moved down to her own chest, which was moving hysterically up and down as she breathed. A large red stain was slowly spreading across her white shirt. Jason only had time to register her eyes flipping upwards before she fell, and he leapt forwards to catch her body.

"HELP ME! Somebody call an ambulance, PLEASE!" his voice cracked as he sank to the floor, cradling the unmoving figure of his fiancee. "Please, help us. Oh god, no this isn't happening, no, no, NO! Jenny, Jenny please, wake up, please. Dont leave me, not on my own, I cant breathe without you ..."

He barely register to sudden uproar of movement around him, the blizzard of screams and shouts as people from the street ran in to help. He only left her side when the crime scene investigators arrived and the yellow tape, reading CRIME SCENE was unravelled around their table.

oOo

"Poor guy. They come here as a last minute trip from England to celebrate their engagement, the end of University and he loses the most important thing in his life," Stella sighed, kneeling beside a small mountain of sugar granules. She laid a yellow block reading 24 and stood up again, turning to face Mac. She knodded over towards a young man who was wrapped in a silvery blanket, shaking violently.

"Meet Jason, 21 years old. Came to New York with his high school sweetheart Jenny, 20. Decided to take a nice trip into a friendly cafe to escape the snow and then this. He's being treated for shock."

"There's no possibility he could have done this?" Mac asked quitely.

"No. Bullet came from the doorway. Witnesses say they were just sharing a moment when she was hit. Happened so quietly they didnt notice something was wrong until he started shouting for help. Mac, it doesn't make any sense. A young couple, from England, sharing a romantic break. Never been to the Big Apple before, probably never come again. Why target them?"

"That's what we're hear to find out, Stella," Mac told her, his eyes not leaving the trembling man.

oOo

"Do you remember hearing on seeing anything?"

"Uh ... I think the bell went when .. when we kissed, when it ..."

Lindsay sighed. The poor guy could hardly speak, let alone remember what had happened. He must really have been in love.

"Thank you. The hospital are going to take you there, just overnight to make sure you're okay," the words sounded stupid .. "make sure you're okay." This guy had seen his fiancee murdered. He would never be okay again, "...but we might need to call you in in a few days time, just to go over anything you may remember." She waited until he nodded before moving towards the door. A wave of nausea hit her; she could smell the metallic burn of blood, and the cool wind calmed her.

"Hey, Montana. You alright?" Danny Messer held her close to him, his arm around her shoulders. This was a new step in their relationship. She felt like a kid in high school again, waiting for the next step, first a hug, then a kiss on the cheek, then holding hands ...

She turned her face into his chest, a shiver running down her spine. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just feeling a bit off today."

"Well, you need to talk, come to me," he told her with a Danny Messer smile before turning back to his job. Lindsay ducked her head so he wouldn't see her grimace. She was just pleased all shifts were during the day this week. She couldn't bear the dark after... No. She wasn't going to think about it. She'd managed to block it from her head so much now she couldn't remember the face, or the street name. She would be okay. Her eyes trailed back to the white sheet covering the young girls body. Sometimes she wished she could take their place.

**Hope you liked it! Please review, they make me happy :) Will update ASAP :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, Adam, managed to work your magic yet?" Danny grinned as his sidled into the lab. Adam turned, his brow furrowed furtively. In his hand was a laminated picture of the wooden floor in the small cafe.

"Hmh."

"That's brilliant, thanks Adam," Danny laughed, taking the sheet from his hands. "What's this, a shoe print?" he questioned, all teasing aside.

"Yes, made out of sugar granules. In was a few inches inside the door - where the gunman was most likely stood. Its angle matches that of how the shooter would have been stood-"

"So? Thats good news isn't it? Just match the shoe print-"

"It doesn't make sense Danny. How could the gunman, who, at this moment in time, is completely anonymous, have sugar on the bottom of his shoe? The sugar was spilt by our victim moments before she was shot."

* * *

"Hey, Linds, what're you up to?"

Stella leant on the lab table facing her younger friend.

"Just going over the evidence we collected - not that there's much of it. Even if they were targeted, which is highly unlikely, Jason said their trip to the cafe was entirely spur of the moment - they even jumped from the cab before planned, the driver confirmed it. None of it makes sense." Lindsay worried her lip, a habit she had recently developed.

"Well, maybe the boyfriend's not telling the whole truth. You want to bring him in again?"

"No. Not right now, Stel, he's torn apart. I dont think I can have anything to do with this."

"Or he could just be a good actor." Stella suggested. "Problem with you, kid, is you're too nice. New York's full of nasty's, some hide behind nice exteriors. Trust me, I learnt the hard way." A frown eveloped her face as she remember her ex boyfriend. That night would never be forgotten.

"Do you still ... remember the details?" Lindsay asked suddenly, freeing her hands of evidence.

"Every single peice. Well. The bits I was conscious for," she added. "I dont think I'll ever forget the look on his face. Why?"

"Just wondering," Lindsay muttered hastily. "Listen, could you do me a favour and run down to ballistics? I want to get a look at the results on the bullet." She smiled as Stella nodded, leaving the room. Sneaking a glance out the windows, she saw it was getting dark outside. She tried to continue with her work, but her neck itched, and a shiver ran down her spine. Quickly standing up, she moved agily to the windows, closing the blinds. She was just moving back to her station when the lights went out.

"Hello?" she tried not to listen to the way her voice echoed around the room. She felt her heart pound in her chest and tried to keep her breathing silent as it sped up. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and yelped, turning to face them.

As suddenly as they had turned off, they flickered back on, flooding the room with a white light, illuminating Mac Taylor's concerned face hovering above hers.

"Oh," she murmured, before shrinking to the floor, her back against the desk.

"Lindsay, you're shaking. Are you okay? Lindsay." Mac knelt beside her, holding her trembling knees. "I'm sorry, I thought the lights needed brightening, I turned them off instead.."

"You gave me a fright is all," she managed to choke out, accepting his hand up. "I'm sorry, I dont know ..."

"You need to talk, you know where to find me," he nodded, turning to leave. "Stella sent me with the ballistics," he told her, indicating to the folder on the desk. And he left her, much to her gratitude. Tears welled up in her eyes, though from the embarrassment of fear she couldn't tell. She blinked a few time before turning back to the folder.

* * *

"I'll tell you something else that doesn't make sense." Danny mused, speaking more to himself than to Adam. "This tray in the invantory has a dent in it. Why would a tray have a dent in it?"

Adam frowned and moved around the desk to get a better look at the picture lying on the surface. The customary brown, plastic tray from the small cafe had been found under the table, and had a small round dent on the left hand side of it. "It could have been anything Danny," Adam sighed, frustrated by their lack of progress.

Danny nodded, but his brow was still furrowed and still holding the picture, he left the room. After a short elevator trip to the morgue, he pulled on a fresh pair of gloves and walked in, the cold, sterilised air hitting him like a welcome breeze on a summer day.

"Sid, you had time to work on our victim from the cafe shooting yet?" he called as he approached. Sid turned, a genuine look of surprise on his face.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm just about to start her." As Danny approached, he could see the curled, auburn hair of their victim fanned out on the metal table. "What can I-" Sid was cut off short as Danny approached the body.

"There a hole in her chest."

"Well, yes, Danny, she was shot." Sid replied, trying to keep a condescending tone from his voice.

"It was a through and through." Danny's next remark wasn't a question, but a statement."

"Well, yes. You can see the skin here is frayed as the bullet exited-"

"Sid, that's not possible. She was pressed against her fiancee. If she bullet exited her then surely ..." He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, still holding the bag containing the bullet, he turned on his heel, leaving the room.

"Ah, another mystery for me to puzzle over," Sid sighed. "Now my dear, will you tell me your story?"

* * *

Stella leant over the sink, splashing cold water on her face. Third time this week she'd been leant over the porcelain bowl. She'd have to talk to-. She stopped. She could hear someone retching in the toilet, the plastic door locked.

"Hello? Who's in there? Are you ok?" She waited a few seconds until the retching stopped before unlocking the door from the outside. She started when Lindsay's shocked, pale face looked up at hers.

"Stella. Oh. God," Lindsay flushed the toilet quickly, gratefully accepting the polo Stella held out to her.

"Are you okay hun?"

"I'm fine. Well. I'm not, I've just been sick, but I am fine."

"Linds, if you need to talk about anything-"

"What?"

"Well ... you're not ... you know. Are you?"

"What? Pregnant?" Lindsay's eyes bulged with the mere idea. "No, I'm definitely not pregnant. I haven't had a boyfriend for about 4 years! Just feeling a bit under the weather, you know? Anyway, how's the case going? Adam and Danny made any progess?"

"Danny's looking for you, I think he wants to bring someone in ..."

**Well, next chapter complete. Hope it's okay :)**


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